Square One (Black Pink single)

"Square One"
Single by Black Pink
A-side "Whistle"
"Boombayah"
Released August 8, 2016 (2016-08-08)
Format Digital Download
Genre
Length 7:33
Label
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
Black Pink singles chronology
Square One
(2016)		 Square Two
(2016)
Music video
"Whistle" on YouTube
"Boombayah" on YouTube

Square One is the debut single album by South Korean girl group Black Pink. It was released as a digital single on August 8, 2016 by YG Entertainment and distributed by KT Music. The single has a double A-side, "Whistle" and "Boombayah". The lyrics were written by Teddy, Bekuh Boom and B.I from iKON and the music was composed by Teddy, Future Bounce and Bekuh Boom. To promote the single, Black Pink performed both songs on the South Korean music program, SBS's Inkigayo on August 14, 2016.

The songs were a commercial success. "Whistle" topped the Gaon Digital Chart and "Boombayah" topped the US World Digital Songs, both in the first week of sales.

Background and release

Square One was released on August 8, 2016 at 8 p.m. KST through various digital portals in South Korea and on iTunes for the global market.[1][2]

Music video

The music videos for "Whistle" and "Boombayah" were directed by Seo Hyun-seung (director of "I Am the Best" by 2NE1 and "Fantastic Baby" by Big Bang).[3] They were released on Black Pink's official YouTube channel on August 8, 2016.[4][5] The videos went viral soon after they were uploaded, with both surpassing ten million views in five days.[6]

As of November 24, 2016, "Boombayah" has accrued 68 million views, while "Whistle" has 55 million. All of Black Pink's live performances have over one million views, the highest being their debut stage for "Boombayah" on Inkigayo with over ten million views. "Boombayah" also become the fastest K-pop debut music videos to achieved 50 million views on YouTube within nine weeks since release.[7]

On August 18, the dance practice for "Whistle" was released, with "Boombayah" following two days after on the 20th.[8] The dance for "Boombayah" was choreographed by famous Los Angeles-based dancer Kyle Hanagami, who has previously choreographed dances for Girls' Generation, f(x), Red Velvet and Taeyeon.[9]

Promotion

In order to promote Square One, Black Pink held their debut stage performing "Whistle" and "Boombayah" on SBS's Inkigayo on August 14, 2016.[10][11] A week later on August 21, the group win their first music program trophy for "Whistle" on Inkigayo, becoming the fastest girl group to achieve this feat.

Chart performance

In South Korea, "Whistle" topped the Gaon Digital Chart on the chart issue dated August 7–13, 2016 with 150,747 downloads sold - topping the componing Download Chart - and 4,302,547 streams. Meanwhile, "Boombayah" entered at number 7 with 88,215 downloads sold and 1,866,737 streams.[12][13][14]

In the US, "Boombayah" topped Billboard's World Digital Songs for the week August 27, 2016. Meanwhile, "Whistle" entered at number 2 on the chart. Both songs sold about 6,000 downloads each with "Boombayah" selling slightly more.[15][16] In its second week within the chart, "Whistle" placed at number 3 for the week September 3, 2016.[17]

Reception

Billboard K-Town's Jeff Benjamin said they "embrace the hip-hop sensibilities and club-ready sounds with which their seniors gained an international following", referring to their labelmates Psy, Big Bang and 2NE1. He said, "Boombayah" has "booming, exotic beats" while "Whistle" "brings together impassioned crooning and their youthful hip-hop delivery with minimal drum 'n' bass and an undeniable whistle hook".[18]

Rolling Stone's Brittany Spanos in "10 New Artists You Need to Know: September 2016" said they sound like a "perfect marriage" of K-pop and A-town (Atlanta) trap. She said they would appeal to fans of CL, 2NE1, Ariana Grande and Fifth Harmony, qualifying the last group's harder sounds. She said, "All low-end boom and high-end tweets, the infectious "Whistle" feels like perfect pop update of the similarly chirpy Ying Yang Twins classic "Whistle While You Twurk."[19]

Entertainment Weekly's Joey Nolfi in "8 hot under-the-radar singles from emerging artists you need to hear now" said the song (Whistle) "quickly turns up the heat, layering irresistible finger snaps, a saccharine bridge, electric guitar riffs, mammoth bass, and, of course, cow bell-accompanied whistles ... it wouldn’t sound entirely out of place occupying a lofty position on American charts."[20]

Track listing

Digital download[21]
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Whistle" (휘파람)
  • Teddy
  • Future Bounce
  • Bekuh BOOM
  • Teddy
  • Future Bounce
3:32
2."Boombayah" (붐바야)
  • Teddy
  • Bekuh BOOM
  • Teddy
  • Bekuh BOOM
Teddy4:01
Total length:7:33

Charts

Weekly charts

"Whistle"

Chart (2016) Peak
position
South Korea (Gaon Digital Chart)[12] 1
US World Digital Songs (Billboard) [22] 2

"Boombayah"

Chart (2016) Peak
position
France (SNEP)[23] 196
South Korea (Gaon Digital Chart)[12] 7
US World Digital Songs (Billboard) [22] 1

References

  1. ↑ "앨범 정보>멜론". www.melon.com. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  2. ↑ "Square One - Single by BLACKPINK on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  3. ↑ Chu, Yanchingsally (August 5, 2016). "Blackpink Discloses the Teaser Image of its First Song 'Boombayah'". BNT News.
  4. ↑ BLACKPINK (2016-08-08), BLACKPINK - '휘파람'(WHISTLE) M/V, retrieved 2016-08-19
  5. ↑ BLACKPINK (2016-08-08), BLACKPINK - '붐바야'(BOOMBAYAH) M/V, retrieved 2016-08-19
  6. ↑ "BLACKPINK's View Count For "BOOMBAYAH" Soars Past 10 Million Views". Naver. August 12, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  7. ↑ "BLACKPINK's "BOOMBAYAH" Posts 50 Million Youtube Views in Just Two Months". yg-life. YG Entertainment. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  8. ↑ BLACKPINK (2016-08-18), BLACKPINK - '휘파람(WHISTLE)' DANCE PRACTICE VIDEO, retrieved 2016-08-19
  9. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/BI1x8kiBZvo
  10. ↑ "BLACKPINK - '휘파람'(WHISTLE) 0814 SBS Inkigayo". 2016-08-14. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  11. ↑ "BLACKPINK - '붐바야(BOOMBAYAH)' 0814 SBS Inkigayo". 2016-08-14. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  12. 1 2 3 "국내 대표 음악 차트 가온차트!". gaonchart.co.kr. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  13. ↑ "국내 대표 음악 차트 가온차트!". gaonchart.co.kr. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  14. ↑ "국내 대표 음악 차트 가온차트!". gaonchart.co.kr. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  15. ↑ "World Digital Songs : Aug 27, 2016 | Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  16. ↑ "Blackpink's Major Debut: New K-Pop Girl Group Lands No. 1 & 2 on World Digital Songs Chart". Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  17. ↑ "World Digital Songs : Sep 03, 2016 | Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-08-25.
  18. ↑ Benjamin, Jeff (August 16, 2016). "Blackpink's Major Debut: New K-Pop Girl Group Lands No. 1 & 2 on World Digital Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  19. ↑ Spanos, Brittany (September 14, 2016). "10 New Artists You Need to Know: September 2016 – Blackpink, Noname, Dua Lipa, Young M.A and more". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  20. ↑ Nolfi, Joey (September 28, 2016). "8 hot under-the-radar singles from emerging artists you need to hear now". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Square One" (in Korean). Melon. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  22. 1 2 "Chart Search "Blackpink"". Billboard. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Blackpink – Boombayah" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
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